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Articulated Dolls
Articulation refers to whether or not a doll can move one or more of its body parts independently of its body and/or hold that body part in a fixed pose. For a doll to be classified as "articulated," it must have one (or more) moveable, poseable doll body parts. In order for a body part or limb to articulate, it must contain an internal articulation mechanism that will allow it to perform this movement. These internal articulation mechanisms are referred to as articulation joints, and where each articulation joint is located within the body is referred to as an articulation location. Sounds complicated, but it's not really. Let's break it down simply: In order for a'' doll body part ''to move, something within that body part where it makes this movement must perform it. What'' makes this movement; where within the doll this movement is located, and how this movement is made possible is essentially the subject matter of articulation in a nutshell. Articulation Joints & Locations QUICK RECAP: Everywhere a doll can move is an '''articulation location, and within each of these locations, you will find an articulation joint. Below is a list of each articulation joint and its possible articulation location: 'ARTICULATION JOINT: NECK/HEAD' It can be difficult to tell if a neck is truly articulated. Some appear articulated (such as with an American Girl-style type neck), but in actuality, the head is only able to "manually rotate" within its cloth torso. Also, a neck may appear FIXED (all one, non-jointed piece) but actually be articulated as the internal mechanism is located within the head, etc. *'Articulation Location: Head': Neck will be "jointed" vinyl with an internal articulation mechanism located either within the head itself or where the neck meets the torso; allows head to move/pose independently from neck or torso. 'ARTICULATION JOINT: SHOULDER' *'Articulation Location: Arm': Either entire arm will move/pose independently from body or only the upper arm will slightly move/pose. 'ARTICULATION JOINT: HIP' *'Articulation Location: Leg': Moves/poses the entire leg. 'ARTICULATION JOINT: TORSO' *'Articulation Location: Waist:' Doll torso will articulate upper and lower torso independently. Only all-vinyl dolls have an articulated waist. 'ARTICULATION JOINT: KNEE CAP' *'Articulation Location: Lower Leg: '''Lower leg (below knee) will move/pose independently from thigh. 'ARTICULATION JOINT: WRIST *'''Articulation Location: Wrist: Hand will move/pose independently from forearm. Some dolls are sculpted to have curved wrists. The doll Gotz Girl is a good physical example of this. 'ARTICULATION JOINT: ELBOW' *'Articulation Location: Elbow:' Forearm will move/pose independently from upper arm. 'ARTICULATION JOINT: ANKLE' *'Articulation Location: Ankle:' Foot will move/pose independently from lower leg. Examples of Different Articulation Locations Below are just a few examples of some different articulation locations on vinyl dolls. Fully-Happy Kids.jpg|This all-vinyl doll has articulated shoulders; hips; elbows; wrists; knees; and neck. GELENKPUPPE.jpg|This all-vinyl doll has an articulated neck; shoulders; hips; and torso. Vinyl Fully Articulated - Hannah.jpg|This all-vinyl doll has an articulated neck; shoulders, and hips. Different Articulation Mechanisms QUICK RECAP: What '''''makes a doll able to move/pose, is referred to as an internal articulation mechanism. There are a variety of different internal articulation mechanisms: 1. FLANGE AND SOCKET JOINTS: This type of articulation mechanism is described as having an "undercut" flange and socket connection. Undercut flanges located within the doll torso "connect" with matching undercut flanges located within the limb; when both sockets are connected, the limb is secured and cannot easily be removed from the doll body1. These types of sockets were used for the head, hips and shoulders of dolls. It is important to note that these types of joints are direction-limited; these limbs can only swing forwards/backwards, they cannot extend outward away from the body. One type of this mechanism was patented by Ma E. Marr in 1951. Most Götz Dolls with this type of articulation mechanism were made post 1957, which is when the rotational molding machine was introduced. Dolls with these types of joints are typically called STEHPUPPEs in German. 2. BALL AND SOCKET JOINTS: These types of joints are made entirely of vinyl; they almost appear as if a "balloon" of vinyl was first inserted into the doll's hollow doll body, then inflated. This type of articulation mechanism does not have directional limitations; these dolls limbs can extend in any direction, including outward. This doll below, which contains rotational molding seams, is one of the oldest vinyl Götz Dolls with this type of articulation mechanism identified to date. It should be noted, Götz Doll Wiki has found this type of articulation joint is nearly identical to those found on Gesch dolls. 3. "STRUNG" DOLLS: Hard-bodied dolls with "strung" limbs have limbs held together by a tension cord and opposing "cup" located within the hollow doll body. This articulation mechanism does not have directional limitations; limbs can extend in every direction including away from the torso. It was first introduced in the mid 1960s and can be found on early Sasha Dolls all the way to FANOUCHE and beyond. Some strung dolls feature tension "cups" with crimped cord while others feature metal hook tension cord. 4. BALL-JOINTED SOCKETS: As soft-bodied dolls grew in popularity, a modification of the "strung" doll was also needed, thus the introduction of the ball-jointed socket articulation mechanism. These types of joints are made of a tension bungee cord strung between two opposing plastic hollow "cups" (one is located inside the limb), held together by a crimped metal tie. Note the cups mentioned in the STRUNG doll sections resemble those seen in photo left. Marianne Götz patented her own ball-jointed socket in the mid-1980s; older dolls feature a metal "crimp" while newer dolls have plastic. Over time, ball-jointed socket dolls can lose their ability to maintain a pose, resulting in loose limbs, which means the tension cord in one/more limbs needs to be tightened. 5. SOFT FASTENER CONNECTOR: (unofficial name) This type of articulation mechanism is found on soft-bodied dolls with connected "soft" limbs. These dolls have soft-bodied doll torsos that are sewn separately from their soft limbs; the soft limbs are then "connected" to the soft padded cloth torsos and secured via connector. These dolls are able to sit on their own but cannot stand (since the joints are "soft"). Baby dolls such as the one shown on the right were produced post 1990 and are soft-bodied, multi-articulated baby dolls. 6. ARMATURE SKELETON: This type of articulation mechanism is found on soft-bodied dolls; the limbs are connected to as one piece to the doll's torso (not separated). The doll is able to move via an inner wire skeleton connected to each joint, located within its soft, padded cloth torso. The range of motion is unlimited and dolls can maintain any pose with this type of articulation mechanism. These dolls are considered fully articulated dolls. The Different Articulation Types QUICK RECAP: Dolls can have a variety of articulation joints and locations that move/hold a pose. Where each doll articulates can be added up to help determine its articulation type. Götz dolls are classified on this Wiki by both body type and articulation type. Additionally, some dolls share the same facial mold but have different doll body types with different articulation joints and locations. How articulated a doll is can be determined by examining its specific body characteristics. This method of determining how articulated a doll is allows one to place it within a specific articulation category, known as an articulation type, and within its specific Götz classification. Based upon similar articulation characteristics, dolls can be classified within one of the following articulation types: 1. NON-Articulated Dolls #'NONE/NON-ARTICULATED: (0 JOINTS MOVE/POSE)': Doll cannot sit/stand unaided; no body part can independently articulate. Body parts may be sculpted bent (as with baby dolls' legs) vs. articulate (i.e. move/hold a pose). Shoulders and upper thighs are FIXED. Head may be FIXED or manually rotate only. * Ex. Most soft-bodied dolls/baby dolls fit into this category type. For more information on Non-Articulated Dolls, please click this link. 2. Articulated Dolls #'PARTIAL ARTICULATION (2-3 JOINTS MOVE/POSE)': Either shoulders or hips will articulate= if only hips articulate, doll will sit/stand without help; if only shoulders articulate, doll cannot sit/stand unaided. Head may articulate; be fixed; or rotate only. Ex. Most breastplate dolls will fit within this category. #'MULTI-ARTICULATED (4-5 JOINTS MOVE/POSE)': Doll can sit/stand unaided; both shoulders and hips will move/pose; head may articulate or rotate only. Ex. Most AG-style body types will fit within this category. #'FULLY ARTICULATED (6+ JOINTS MOVE/POSE)': Doll can sit/stand unaided; both shoulders and hips articulate; neck articulates. Additional body parts will articulate: waist; both elbows; both wrists; both knees; both ankles will move/pose if articulated. Dolls within this category are mostly vinyl however, a few types of cloth dolls will fully articulate. Ex. Happy Kidz and Nane Roskothen dolls (fully-articulated cloth doll) will fit within this type. How to Determine Articulation Type QUICK RECAP: You can add up the total number of locations where each limb moves/holds a pose to determine the articulation type of a doll. To determine its articulation type, each articulation joint is assigned a value of +1. Let's look at some examples. Example #1: This doll has 2 cloth shoulders and 2 cloth hips. Since these are not articulated, they cannot be assigned a value. Her neck appears articulated but will only rotate within her cloth torso; as it is non-articulated, it also then cannot be assigned a value. Since "0" or "no body part articulates" (has the ability to move/pose independently), she is a NON-ARTICULATED doll. Example #2: This doll has 2 "jointed" shoulders that articulate each arm; each shoulder is assigned a +1 value giving her a +2 shoulder value. Each hip is also "jointed" which articulates each leg; each leg is assigned a +1 value giving her a +2 hip value. As with Example #1 above: her neck is non-articulated (non-jointed) so it is not assigned a neck value. If you add up her articulation values, she has "4" articulated joints, which classifies her as a FULLY ARTICULATED doll. Example #3: The doll below has both shoulders that articulate each arm; each shoulder is assigned a +1 value giving her a +2 shoulder value. Each hip articulates each leg; each hip is assigned a +1 value giving her a +2 hip value. Her torso is also "jointed" and is assigned for a +1 torso value. She has an articulated neck which moves/poses the head and is assigned a +1 neck value. If you add up her articulation values (+2 +2 +1 +1), she has "6" articulated joints, which classifies her as a MULTI-ARTICULATED doll. Götz dolls have manufactured dolls for decades. This article is not meant to be comprehensive in scope but to act as a starting point for understanding the topic of understanding and identifying articulation. As new information is catalogued, please know these definitions and information may be updated from time to time. If you have any additional information that is not listed here, please let me know! References: # Source for this information comes from Google patents. # Götz Doll Wiki would like to thank Kathy Farnham-Sampson for her help in arriving at a determination and definition of the articulation types mentioned above. Category:Doll Category:Doll Index Category:General Information Category:Articulation Type Category:Article Category:Article Stub Category:Requires Fill-In Category:Photo Needed Category:Body Type Category:Learn How to Identify a Gotz Doll Category:Articulated Dolls Category:Non-Articulated Dolls Category:Articulated Baby Dolls Category:Non-Articulated Baby Dolls __NOEDITSECTION__ __NONEWSECTIONLINK__